Chemotional
by Elementa
Summary: When Spinner's cancer treatments start taking a toll on his personal life, Spinner could lose everything.
1. Chapter 1

"Just one more shot. Just... like... that. Breathe, just breathe."

Spinner sat on the edge of the hospital bed, his eyes closed, as he tried to battle his tears. His fingers were digging into the bed. He clenched his mouth, feeling ready to scream, his lungs ready to give out, his breathing slow and hard, his heart racing.

"There you go. It's over," said the doctor, removing the needle from Spinner's arm and applying a cotton swab over the area. Then she wheeled her chair over to face Spinner, showing him the needle.

"See this?" asked the doctor, pointing to the contents of the needle. "This is what we needed. Just that little spot right... there. I know it's just a nasty blob to you, but with new advances of treatment, we can now start giving you the antibiotics designed for your treatments."

"When will this be over?" asked Spinner, half angrily, half rationally.

"Spinner," sighed the doctor. The doctor took a moment to think of the proper answer. "It's my job to reassure patients that things will get better in time. But for now, you need to let me work my magic. Cancer is an uphill battle, and it doesn't end when the tumor's gone. Your battle has just begun. But this isn't allso you can just live a few months longer. The treatments we hope to give you can keep you healthy for a lifetime. You just have to trust us. I've been in this field for ten years, and I've seen the success stories, and the tragedies of cancer at it's worst. I can't promise you that this battle will be over soon. But I can promise you that, if you choose to follow the program we've mapped out for you, which includes weekly visits to your doctor's office, subscribed medications, constant treatments... you will win your battle."

* * *

"Hey Spin," called out Jimmy from the other side of the hallway. Spinner walked over. "So how did it go last night?"

"As usual. One shot, one long speech from the doc, and one angry exit from the office. Oh, but not without saying bye to the super hot secretary," smirked Spinner.

"Look man... if there's anything you need while this is going on, just say the word—"

"Dude, you act like I'm dead already. Weren't you the one trying to tell me to lighten up?"

"Yeah, but I mean, you've been acting so... relaxed about everything, and... I just wanna help," said Jimmy.

"Dude, don't even worry about it," said Spinner, walking away backwards to face Jimmy. "I've got it all covered, man."

"Alright then. Well, I'll catch up with you later," yelled Jimmy as Spinner turned around.

* * *

"Two orders of fries, one cheeseburger with sauce on the side, and one Coke," said Spinner, walking away from the table.

"Spinner," said Spinner's boss, walking up to him. "Can I talk to you for a minute?"

"Uh, sure thing, boss. What's up?"

"Spin, we need to talk about your work here. You've been here for a while now, but maybe it's time you took a break."

"What do you mean, boss? Things have been going great—"

"Spinner, you've been locking yourself in the bathroom everyday. You're skipping the end of your shifts, trying to get Becky to fill in while you're away, and you come back looking sicker and sicker every day. I don't know what's been going on with you, but maybe you just need some time off."

"Boss, you can't fire me. I've been working at The Dot forever now, I practically run this place by now."

"I'm not firing you. When you're ready to come back and work for me I'll put you right back on my staff. But I'm not accepting you like this. Not in the condition you're in. Now I suggest you sort out whatever problems you're dealing with, and come back with a fresh start."

"Boss. Come on. I'm better than ever. You can't let me go now. Not like this. Not in my senior year, not when I need money for college."

"I'm sorry Spin. There's nothing more I can do."

* * *


	2. Chapter 2

"Gavin," called out his mother from the kitchen. "Come eat before your food gets cold."

Spinner walked over to the table, angry and upset. His head hung low, he lightly kicked the chair from the table and took a seat.

"Mom—"

"Now Gavin, I'm just trying to make you feel better dear."

"You don't have to do this," said Spinner, grabbing the twenty dollar bill his mother had put next to his plate. As he was getting up from his chair, Spinner felt an agonizing pain in his hip and sat back down abruptly. Seeing this, his mother raced to his side and bent over to check his hip.

"It's only normal, Gav," sighed his mother, touching his hipbone. At each touch, Spinner could feel his heart racing, as he let out quiet screams. "The doctor said that after a few months the treatments would give you some pains. Have you been taking your pills, dear?"

"Four a day every day," said Spinner, becoming increasingly angry. "But how much more can I take mom? It's like... it's like I'm dying just to stay alive."

"It's not like that Gavin—"

"I got fired, mom. Al wanted me to stop working and take a break. He knows, mom, they all know. I can't hide this forever. I wanna keep living normally, but I can't. I can't live like this, mom."

His mother choked up. "I watched your dad fight the very same fight—"

"Mom, please," sighed Spinner.

"Gavin, your dad died before his time. He never got the chance to fight his fight. I know how hard this must be for you, but you are the image of your father, and I won't let it happen to you."

* * *

"Spin," yelled Jane from across the hall. Spinner ignored her and kept walking. "Spin... Spin!"

Spinner turned around angrily. "Jane—"

"Why are you doing this, Spin? It doesn't have to be like this."

"And why not, Jane? Look, I was better off before you came along!"

"Ok, ok, I admit it... I suck. I shouldn't have done what I did, but... I do care, Spin, and I wanna help you."

"Whatever, Jane, I don't wanna talk about this right now," said Spinner, walking away.

"Spin," called out Jimmy from his locker. "You okay?"

"Yeah, fine," grumbled Spinner. "Just Jane."

"Oh right, just the girl who got drunk, then _almost_ ratted you out in front of the _entire_ school. Yeah," nodded Jimmy. "Just Jane." Just as Jimmy started to wheel himself away from his locker, he dropped his books on the ground.

"I'll—" said Spinner, bending down to get the books, then falling on the floor.

"Woh, slow down man," laughed Jimmy, picking up his books. "You okay there, cowboy?"

"I'm fine," grumbled Spinner, slowly lifting himself up. "Just... you know..."

"Yeah. I know," sighed Jimmy. "But man, like I said, if there's anything you need—"

"Jimmy, how much can you do to help me?"

"Oh, ok, I get it. So the cripple can't have his man's back, is that it?"

"Jimmy—"

"No, it's cool. But when you're flat on your back, with nobody there to call your doc... Don't bother giving me a call, 'cause the cripple's gonna be_ too_ busy learning to walk again."

* * *

_First skipped message. _

"Hey Spinner, this is Jane... look, if you ever wanna grab some coffee sometime... talk about everything that happened between us... I'll be at The Dot anyway—"

_Message deleted. Next message. _

"Mr. Mason, this is Doctor Sidney from Saint Jude's Hospital. Your next appointment is tomorrow—"

_Message deleted. End of new messages. Check erased messages. Press 1-9. _

* * *


	3. Chapter 3

"Mr. Mason," said the hospital secretary, handing Spinner a pile of papers. "Here are all your bills for this month's treatment. Your mother chose to pay the bills monthly, so when she arrives, we'll be able to talk to her about your financial program."

"My mom's not coming," said Spinner. "I didn't know she was supposed to come today…"

"Well, did you not receive our message? It should have been indicated to you that Mrs. Mason was supposed to come in today. Two messages are always sent. One to your cell phone, and one to your home phone, in case these sort of problems arise. But I'll give Doctor Sidney a call to verify—"

"No, it's fine," insisted Spinner, realizing that he had erased the message too soon. "Is there anyway we can reschedule the appointment?"

"Well, your treatment must be completed today," said the secretary. "But we can reschedule the appointment to… tomorrow, four o'clock?"

"Yeah," said Spinner, distracted when he saw Doctor Sidney passing by with a large needle. "Um, I'll just sit down I guess."

"Actually," said the secretary bluntly. "Doctor Sidney is ready for you. You did just see her pass by, it must mean she's finished with her last appointment."

Spinner nodded and gulped, praying that the needle in Doctor Sidney's hands wasn't for him.

* * *

Jane walked into The Dot and sat down at a table. Once she sat down, she looked around for Spinner.

"Hey Don," asked Jane as Don, a waiter at The Dot, passed by. "Where's Spin?"

"He didn't come in today," shrugged Don. "Who knows with him? He's not been so good lately."

"Yeah, who knows," mumbled Jane, seeing Al at the counter. "Hey, you think Al would know?"

"I dunno, go ahead, ask him," said Don, walking away.

Jane walked over and leaned on the counter.

"Hey Al," asked Jane. "What's going on with Spin?"

"Look, there was nothing else I could do. Something's gotten into that kid. He couldn't work anymore—"

"Wait, wait, back up. _What_ do you mean?"

"I let him go yesterday. Sorry, I thought he'd have told you by now."

"Wait… what?" asked Jane. "But he's been working here forever."

"He's slowing down the restaurant, been staying in the bathroom lately. Sorry, but I couldn't let him keep going. We have jobs to do."

* * *

"Doc, seriously, you can't do this to me."

"Spinner, things are going to get a lot worse before they get a lot better. Trust me, this needle is pretty standard. Now please, just sit back and relax. It's just a little pinch."

Spinner breathed hard as he lied down on the bed. He shut his eyes, clenching his fists as tight as possible.

"Okay Spinner. I want you to lie still. It won't take longer than five minutes," said the doctor calmly, as she wiped the needle with a cotton swab.

"I can't do this," yelled Spinner, leaping off the bed and grabbing his jacket, just as she was ready to insert the needle into his forearm. "I won't put up with this."

"Spinner—"

"Look, doc. There's only so much I can take. There's… there's gotta be another way!"

* * *

"Leave a message."

_Hey, Spin. Look, I went to The Dot today. Al told me you got fired. You haven't seemed okay lately. You know I wanna help. Please, just give me one more chance. _

* * *


	4. Chapter 4

"Mom, before we start all this, do you mind if I just talk to Doctor Sidney for a sec?"

"Go ahead Gavin," smiled his mom, patting him on the back. "I'll be outside."

When she stood up and shut the door behind her, Spinner could feel the tension in the room.

"Spinner, I understand _wh_y you freaked out yesterday," started Doctor Sidney. "And, so you know, you're not the first of my patients to be afraid of a procedure. In fact, I've seen many do exactly what you did. Run away. And with good reason— needles are a very scary thing. But cancer is much scarier. Spinner, running away is only going to make things worse, and although you're skipping the pain of needles, you're just increasing the pain in the long run."

"I know doc," sighed Spinner. "I know."

When the two heard a knock on the door, Doctor Sidney looked away, as if to break the moment between them, and cleared her throat. Spinner's mom opened the door.

"Can I come in?" she asked sweetly.

"Yes, please, sit down Mrs. Mason," said Doctor Sidney, smiling warmly. "Now, we're here to discuss your financial plan for Mr. Mason's treatments. Now, unfortunately, it is impossible to determine when he will no longer need treatments, which is why we find it wiser to pay on a monthly basis. Now, a treatment can cost anywhere from 100 to 1000 dollars, depending on the medication used during the treatment. Now, if for any reason an appointment is skipped, we have no choice but to include that treatment in the bill anyway, knowing that the medication still had to be shipped. Skipping is not recommended. It only prolongs the time you spend here. Now, about finances—"

"Doctor Sidney," interrupted Mrs. Mason. "When Gavin's father had cancer, the cost of treatments almost made us lose our home. Fortunately, once I switched jobs, we were able to get back on our feet. I just need to know that the same thing won't happen again."

"I can't make any guarantees. However, some treatments _have_ become less expensive over the years, due to their availability. But new medicines, breakthrough medicines, are more expensive, because they are harder to find and cost more to ship to the hospital. Now, because of your job, we haven't been able to schedule this meeting until today. Mr. Mason has been in treatment for four months now, and you've been paying five thousand dollars a month."

"What?" exclaimed Spinner. "You didn't tell me mom?"

"I didn't want you to worry, Gavin," explained his mother. "The last thing you need to think about is the family's finances. Just think about your health, and let me think about the bills. The company's agreed to let me work overtime a few more days a week."

* * *

"Why didn't you tell my mom?" asked Spinner the next day.

"Lucky for you," sighed Doctor Sidney, pausing for a moment. "I know you won't let it happen again. You just have to realize that cancer isn't just testing your body, it's testing your mind too."

"And it's testing our bank account," mumbled Spinner.

"If your mom says it's under control, maybe you should let her handle it. Just take her advice: Keep coming to your appointments and doing what you have to do. Now just lie down and breathe."

* * *

"Jimmy!" called out Spinner. Jimmy turned around. "Jimmy, I feel bad about the other day."

"It's cool," said Jimmy. "Look, I _get _what it feels like. You just gotta start letting people in. You can't let cancer get in your head. Cancer doesn't have to be your _life._"

"Thanks man," said Spinner, smiling, relieved that Jimmy understood.

* * *

Jane entered the gym.

"Okay guys, good session," yelled Jimmy to Degrassi's Girls Basketball Team. "Tomorrow, 4!"

"Jimmy," said Jane, walking over to him. He turned around, not sure who it was, then looked down when he realized it was her. "Can I talk to you?"

"Sure," said Jimmy. "But I've _probably_ heard it all by now."

"Spinner won't even give me the time of day," said Jane. "Can't you convince him to at least give me a chance?"

"Look, if the man doesn't wanna talk to you, that's not my business. He's got enough to deal with right now. Just let it go."

"I can't let this go," insisted Jane. "I don't want him to hate me!"

"Can you blame him? You almost ruined it for him—"

"I know, I know! But there's gotta be _some _way I can make things right!"

* * *

"Spin," called out Jane from across the hall. Spin turned around this time. "Spin, Al told me he fired you—"

"It doesn't matter," mumbled Spinner. "Look, I have _nothing _to say to you."

"Yeah, but _I've_ got things to say," insisted Jane. "You know how sorry I am for what I did. And I just… I just wish you'd give me the chance to say how I feel—"

"Fine, you want a chance, take it now," said Spinner, raising his voice.

"Ok," said Jane, feeling rushed, then hesitating to find the words. "I wasn't thinking. Clearly. I was so drunk that… I didn't even know where I was. I didn't feel it hit me until I almost told everyone about the whole cancer thing—"

"That whole cancer thing just _happens_ to be my life!" said Spinner, walking away. "Just… just stop trying already. I can't trust you anymore."

* * *

"I want my job back," said Spinner, leaning on The Dot's counter. "I can change, boss."

"Spinner," said Al, trying to sound understanding. "You can't come back. Not in the state you're in."

"Come on boss, this job is important to me. Always has been."

"I know it's important to you, but what's more important is whatever personal issue you're dealing with right now. Just come back when you're ready to _work_."

"Come on boss, I really need the money right now!"

"Sorry kid. I'm not gonna let you affect my business. You're not coming back until you get your life back together."

* * *


End file.
